FCAT Writing Rubric

F C AT WR I T I N G CO N T E N T
FOCUS demonstrates a main idea or theme & stays on topic ORGANIZATION follows a plan that includes an introduction, effective transitional devices, & a conclusion SUPPORT includes use of specific details & precise word choice to explain, clarify, or define meaning CONVENTIONS demonstrates knowledge of the basic skills of punctuation, capitalization, spelling, usage, & sentence structure

Focus
6 (100) You are clearly on topic and show great insight.

Organization
Your essay is beautifully organized, and very easy for the reader to follow.

Support
Your support is substantial, specific, relevant, concrete, and illustrative.

Conventions
You have varied sentence structure, few if any errors and an impressive use of vocabulary.

5 (90)

You are focused, on topic, although some lapses may occur.

Your organizational pattern is clear, and transitions are effective.

Your support is ample with good specific details.

You have varied sentence structure, few errors, and well chosen vocabulary.

4 (80)

You are generally focused, but there may be a few loosely related ideas. You are generally focused, but your ideas do not always follow logically. You address the topic at first, but then you lose focus.

Your organizational pattern is visible, but some lapses may occur.

Your support is adequate, but may be uneven; you could be more specific or offer better examples. Some support is included, but development is uneven; you state some facts without support. Your support is inadequate or illogical; you tend to repeat yourself; you lack details. You dont support your ideas or offer any meaningful support.

You have some variation in your sentence structure with adequate vocabulary and use of conventions. You have some variation in your sentence structure and adequate use of vocabulary, but you need practice with conventions. You have minimal variation in sentence structure, limited vocabulary, and many basic errors. Your vocabulary is weak, and your essay is peppered with errors that are distracting.

3 (70)

Your organization is stiff; transitions are sometimes missing; the essay may seem incomplete.

2 (60)

You have made an attempt to organize with a beginning, middle, and end, but that is all.

1 (50)

You only briefly address the topic.

There may be some organization, but your essay lacks a clear beginning, middle, and end.

Unscorable The response is not related to what the prompt requested the student to do The response is simply a rewording of the prompt The response is a copy of a published work The writing folder is blank. The student refused to write. The response is written in a foreign language. The response is illegible. The response is incomprehensible (words are arranged in such a way that no meaning is conveyed) The response contains an insufficient amount of writing to determine if the student was attempting to address the prompt